Discovering Technical Germany: The Spirit of Invention 9 Days – 8 Nights

Arrival at Frankfurt Airport. Meet your local guide and board the private coach southward (about one hour). Afternoon in Heidelberg, Germany’s romantic university city. Visit Heidelberg Castle, a monument of early modern engineering, with its Renaissance façades, artillery ramparts, and the world’s largest wine barrel. Stroll through the old town’s alleys and bridges. In the evening, we will offer you a welcome dinner overlooking the Neckar River. Overnight in Heidelberg.(D)

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, transfer to John Deere Mannheim for a factory visit (pre-arranged). John Deere offers on-site group tours of the tractor production area by arrangement for groups (booking required; minimum group sizes / availability rules apply). This is a highly technical, high-value manufacturing visit — perfect for a group of engineers who enjoy lines, assembly logistics, robot integration and lean production practices. Safety rules apply (age limits, PPE); we will confirm the factory’s requirements when booking. In the afternoon, short transfer to Technik Museum Speyer. This Museum’s exhibits—aircraft, locomotives, a sea-going submarine exhibit and interactive displays—are unusually tactile and well-suited to engineers who enjoy large-scale machines and technical storytelling. Back to Heidelberg for the overnight. (B)

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, drive to Stuttgart (approx. 1.5–2 hours). Arrival in the Stuttgart industrial quarter. The architecture of Stuttgart’s auto district and the city’s industrial past is itself a study in urban engineering. We will proceed to visit the Mercedes-Benz Museum with free time to enjoy the collection and architecture at your own pace (the museum is organized as a narrative through automotive development; excellent curatorial connections between technology, society and design). After the visit, we will request a factory overview/visit depending on current Mercedes plant visit policies (many Mercedes plant tours are reserved for larger groups and require firm advance booking). After the scheduled program at the Mercedes Benz, we will continue to the hotel for a check-in. Then, you will have free time for private activities. Overnight in Stuttgart. (B) 

Breakfast at the hotel. We will be transfer to the district of Zuffenhausen to visit the Porsche Museum — a focused, beautifully staged museum covering Porsche’s engineering, motorsport evolution and modern EV performance technology. Porsche offers also the possibility of factory tour options—these require advance application and are subject to availability. You will have enough time to explore at your own pace the classic 911 architecture, racing technology and electric drivetrains. Later, you will have the optional technical seminar or Q&A with a museum curator or (if available and booked early) a short factory visit/plant overview. For engineers this can be organized as a 60–90 minute deep-dive into production engineering, platform sharing and quality control practices. Back to Stuttgart for the Overnight. (B)

Breakfast at the Hotel. Early in the morning, you will leave Stuttgart and travel southwest toward Alsace. The drive takes you through dramatic countryside (options: Black Forest scenic detour, or more direct highway travel to save time). Arrive midday in Colmar and check-in at the selected hotel. In the afternoon, you will make your first Alsace winery visit — small, family-run domaines that practice age-old viticulture and modern vinification techniques. We propose two tastings on this afternoon: a crisp Riesling and a Pinot Gris, and a tour of cellars (many producers in Alsace offer private tastings for groups). Return to Colmar and free time for private activities. Walk around the Colmar´s pedestrian street, you will stay in awe. We suggest to have dinner in a winstub (Alsatian farmhouse-style restaurant). Overnight in Colmar. (B)

Breakfast at the Hotel. In the morning you will have fre to (re) discover the Colmar city center. At a given time, we will start visiting two winery visits in Ribeauvillé/Riquewihr/Kaysersberg — each domaine tells a different story of terroir, cooperage and cellar management. Many producers are happy to give technical tours focusing on fermentation, barrel aging and modern analytics in small-batch production. Continue to Riquewihr or Kaysersberg for architecture, medieval fortifications and wine-related small museums. Late afternoon transfer toward Strasbourg to have an overview of the old quarters of the capital of the Alsace and Europe. Back tu Colmar for the overnight. (B)

After breakfast among the vineyards of Alsace, the group says au revoir to France and crosses the Rhine back into Germany. The landscape gradually shifts from vineyard slopes to rolling fields and forested hills — a tranquil passage that mirrors the evolution from tradition to modernity. Mid-morning brings a stop in Ulm, a city of quiet distinction and intellectual legacy. Known as the birthplace of Albert Einstein, Ulm embodies the spirit of inquiry that defines this entire journey. The skyline is dominated by Ulm Minster, whose spire rises 161 meters — the tallest church tower in the world until the Sagrada Familia tower was finished in October 2025 (now is the second tallest tower). Just a few minutes’ walk from the cathedral lies the Bread and Grain Museum, a surprisingly engaging institution that traces the history of food production, milling technology, and grain logistics — a small but fascinating reflection of industrial design and the engineering behind everyday essentials. Free time for lunch. We suggest to visit a local brasserie or riverside café. The route continues eastward toward Munich, passing fertile farmland and wind-energy installations — modern symbols of Germany’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and innovation. By late afternoon, the Bavarian capital welcomes you with wide boulevards, baroque facades, and a tangible sense of vitality. Check-in at the selected hotel and free time for private activities. Overnight in Munich. (B) (D)

Breakfast at the Hotel. Today is devoted to the spirit of invention — from scientific discovery to mechanical artistry. In the morning, a short transfer brings the group to the Deutsches Museum, situated on an island in the Isar River. It is the world’s largest museum of science and technology, housing over 30 exhibition halls that tell the story of human innovation from the earliest tools to the digital age. You will have enough time to explore key sections of your interests at your own pace— mechanical engineering, aviation, electrical power, and materials science. Stand beside the historic V2 rocket, peer into early steam engines, and marvel at miniature models demonstrating forces, transmission systems, and aerodynamics. The museum’s design allows visitors to engage directly: levers to pull, turbines to turn, circuits to test. For engineers, it is not merely a museum — it is a reunion with the very principles that shaped their careers. In the afternoon, we will continue to the BMW Welt & BMW Museum, shifting from history to the future. At BMW Welt, Munich’s striking glass-and-steel landmark, you will encounter the world of cutting-edge design and sustainable mobility. The building itself is an architectural marvel — its twisted “cloud roof” an expression of dynamic movement. Inside, a guided tour introduces the group to the company’s newest technologies: electric drivetrains, advanced materials, and the marriage of craftsmanship with digital production. Across the plaza, the BMW Museum traces a century of innovation, from early aircraft engines to concept vehicles and motorsport legends. For groups wishing a closer look behind the scenes, an optional plant visit (subject to advance booking) can be arranged — a privileged walk along the production lines where precision engineering and robotics choreograph the assembly of a modern automobile. Back to the hotel. Tonight’s farewell dinner celebrates the spirit of the journey — curiosity, friendship, and the shared joy of discovery. You will enjoy a Bavarian dinner at the Hofbräuhaus, a lively brewery hall, where brass bands and laughter set the tone for the trip’s final chapter. Raise a glass of Bavarian beer or Riesling to the engineers, inventors, and dreamers whose legacy you have followed across Germany. Back to the hotel for the overnight. (B)

Breakfast at the Hotel.  At the given time, transfer to Munich Airport (MUC). As the plane lifts from Bavaria’s green plains, take a final look at the landscape of innovation and heritage you have explored — from the tractor lines of Mannheim to the test benches of Stuttgart, from Alsatian vineyards to the great halls of science in Munich. This is not the end of a tour, but the continuation of a fascination — a reminder that curiosity knows no retirement, and that the joy of understanding how things work is, in itself, a lifelong journey. End of our services. (B)